Viktoria has gotten a couple of updates over the past two or three days. First, she heard from her long-time work friend Angela over the weekend. She, along with her husband and son, had stayed in a coastal village during the worst of the siege and takeover of Mariupol, but they are back in the city now. Their apartment suffered some damage, but was still habitable. (That was the case for many buildings — but not all, of course — that weren’t street-facing.) They’re getting by, I guess; Viktoria didn’t say otherwise.

Naturally, Angela had been learning what she could about friends and the people she’d worked with. (She and Viktoria were the only two women on their 10-person crew at Azovstal, and they’d worked together for many, many years. So, work friend, yes, but real-life friend as well.) Angela passed along news that two of the men from their crew had died. Some people asked how Viktoria was, which (a) is nice to know that she hasn’t been forgotten since moving to the US, and (b) is super nice of them to ask given all that’s going on their lives.

The second bit of news came today (with a smidge yesterday): Viktoria was able to talk with Baba Katya and Rodion for a bit. They are staying with a friend in the village of Staryi Krym (“Old Crimea”), which is just outside the border of Mariupol to the northwest. They’ve got water and electricity there but no communications, which still puts them better off than many people in Mariupol. Katya’s apartment in Mariupol is good — locked up and looked over by a neighbor; minor damage but habitable if they wanted to move back, but there are no plans to do so at this time.

Rodion’s doing OK. He’s in “school” — a Russian brownshirt indoctrination center by another name — for a couple more weeks. He had to get a severe buzzcut a few weeks back to address any possible issues of lice or other vermin from their weeks in the basements and generally unsanitary conditions, but it looks like it’s growing back in now. (I’ll get V to forward a photo; she got a couple from Katya prior to their conversation.) He asked Viktoria about his mother, which I’m sure was a tough question for V. Unfortunately, there’s still no information about Inna, so I’m not sure what she told him.

The friend that Katya and Rodion are staying with does have a car, so there are some plans to do a couple Mariupol runs over the next days or weeks. Katya will go by the apartment block and do a little recon and recovery of Zhenya’s and V’s mother’s apartments. There’s probably nothing to really see or do at this point, but who knows. And, after school is finished, they’ll plan to go visit Artem and his family, to see how things are going.

I’ll write up any updates as soon as I know them.

As promised before, a couple photos of Rodion, along with a new friend he made in the country.

Also, Baba Katya went into Mariupol sooner than I was told, and got a look at the two apartments. She described them to Viktoria as “horrifying.” The only things she found was a coin in the family apartment, and a personal safe from Zhenya’s apartment. The safe was technically fire-proof, but as you can see from these photos, “fire-resistant” might be a better description.

Things are not really improving in Mariupol, and live is not becoming any easier or better since the Russians and their puppets, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), assumed power. I’d written previously about how their attempts to restore electricity and water have been, at best, terrible, and no real progress has been made on that front. The only water for people to use has to be trucked in and distributed. People have to sign up to get water, wait about 2 days for their place in line to come up, and then actually wait in line to get their water.

In the mean time, the DPR is trying to put a pretty face on the rubble by watering the plants in the city so that they can get photos of life returning to normal (or maybe how things are “thriving” now that the Russians are in charge?). And to note, I know this is non-potable, “technical” water that’s being used; it just seems like wrong message when people are still thirsty.

Because of the failures to restore water (and the very real risk of a cholera outbreak because of the unsanitary conditions), some “hygienic procedure” tents have been set up in the center of town – “It’s just horrifying and bullying!” tents for “hygienic procedures” were set up in Mariupol due to lack of water, – VIDEO – 0629.com.ua. These are places where people can wash up (between 11 am and 4 pm).

Water is only part of the story, there is also a lack of food and supplies in the city. When I was young, I remember the stories about bread lines and such in the Soviet Union (which always seemed to be accompanied by black and white photos from the 40’s and 50’s). Well, the lines are back:

I haven’t read about any process for getting this assistance, but I can’t imagine it would be any easier than getting water. And on this particular day, the temperatures were in the upper 80s, so not a great time to just be standing out (especially if you don’t have water to stay hydrated).

Undoubtedly, some of the people in the photo left without assistance, because what’s being sent is likely not sufficient to the needs of the people still in the city – Only 0.25% of Mariupol residents receive Russian “humanitarian aid” (ukrinform.net).

In addition to the lack of water, the other big contributor to the fear of a cholera outbreak is the garbage. There’s a lot of it, and it’s not being addressed.

The WHO is warning about the impending outbreak, but so far Ukraine has stated that there are no cases of cholera to report — though they exclude Mariupol from that statement. The British have said that there have already been some cases in Mariupol – In May, the first cases of cholera were recorded in Mariupol, – British intelligence – 0629.com.ua – and apparently the Russians are concerned about a rash of cases too, and they are taking precautions in places that aren’t Mariupol – Russia bracing for “cholera epidemic” in regions bordering Ukraine – intel (ukrinform.net).

Because of the scope of recovery of the bodies of those killed by their aggression, the Russians and DPR have decided that they just aren’t going to bother anymore. There had been some stories and photos initially of workers, including citizens of Mariupol, going through the rubble of destroyed building to recover the dead. (The people of Mariupol were doing this work because it was one of the few ways to get food.) But that was slow going because there are a lot of destroyed buildings and a lot of bodies. So now there are no recovery efforts; they are just scooping up the rubble and carting it off – In Mariupol, the occupiers carry construction debris along with the remains of bodies to closed landfills – PHOTOS – 0629.com.ua.

While I’m sure part of the argument for doing this is to more quickly address the decomposition and stench that has been enveloping the city, it also give cover to mask the true numbers of the dead and to prevent meaningful closure for a lot of people. And to make investigating war crimes more difficult.

As if we need punctuation to that, here’s a video from last week of one of the mass graves outside of Mariupol. Before the task became too great and/or instructions to conceal the extent of the issue came down, there was some horrifying effort to at least bury some of the bodies. Not that they were necessarily identified. I remember seeing a couple of those Maxar satellite photos of newly dug mass graves (Apparent mass graves near Mariupol expanding in size, satellite photos show – National | Globalnews.ca), but it’s really different when you see a video of someone driving the length and width of it.

Lastly, I’d noted before about the Russians changing (traffic) signs from Ukrainian spellings to Russian spellings. It’s all part of their genocidal erasure of all things Ukrainian. It’s not just road signs – Mariupol was renamed MarNupol and repainted into Russian tricolor , – PHOTOFACT – 0629.com.ua

They had to work to change the Ukrainian “i” into a Russian “и,” but that was much better propaganda for state media broadcasts than, say, giving the people of Mariupol running water. I’m sure the people of Mariupol will take the time to do it right when the city is reclaimed and rebuilt.

This annual celebration probably has special significance this year. The city of Kyiv is 1540 years old, but there has only been a “birthday party” for the city for the past 40 years. At least, that’s what Wikipedia says, and who am I to doubt such an authority? And as for Kyiv versus Moscow? Really no comparison…

I remember seeing this comparison from sometime ago, well before the current conflict. Most likely during the 2014 invasion, though I don’t remember the context. (Kyiv wasn’t threatened then and I don’t recall Russian rhetoric about Ukraine never historically existing.)

Viktoria and I were actually in Kyiv during their Day of the City celebrations in, I think, 2013. Just happened by chance, because I didn’t know it existed and Viktoria didn’t know what day it would have been. (Mariupol’s City Day yes, Kyiv’s no.) I know I’ve got some really bad pictures of hot air balloons that were in the square in front of St. Michael’s Cathedral and I’ll try to post one below. That’s where the taxi had to drop us off because the crowds of people (and blocked off streets) made it impossible to get any closer to the apartment we’d rented. I recall that there were events going on for two or three days after that, though I don’t really know if they were all connected to Kyiv Day or not. Whatever the reason, that was my first extended time in Kyiv, and the first trip Viktoria and I took together, so it holds a special place in my heart and memories.

Here are some images from the courtyard side of Zhenya’s apartment block. What’s left of his balcony can be seen in the first image; his is the burned-out A/C unit that’s third down from the top, left side. Viktoria was in Mariupol when that was installed in his apartment; Zhenya was at work, so Viktoria came by to supervise the workmen. (Viktoria’s mother’s apartment would be further to the left of the image.)

All these photos came from neighbors or friends of a neighbor who came to check on an apartment. These last two are from the inside, from the apartment one floor above Zhenya’s place.

Orthodox Easter, that is.

A little bit of news to relate — Zhenya got some messages from Artem and Katya 1. They’re all still alive and in the Mariupol area. Apparently they are being “processed” by occupation forces, but haven’t been deported to a filtration camp. At least that’s my understanding of Viktoria’s understanding of what she got from Zhenya, so take that third-hand news for what it’s worth. But at least they’re alive and together.

Beyond that, not a lot of positive news out of Mariupol. President Zelinsky made some mention the other day of liberating Mariupol “likely soon,” and while I don’t doubt that he means it, there haven’t been any visible actions. The bombing and shelling of the Azovstal area continues, and the Russians continue to block any attempts at humanitarian evacuation. There had been some arrangements and agreements for Saturday, but the evacuation buses were shot at, the people gathered to evacuate were dispersed from the agreed gathering point*, and later different buses were available for people to go to city in Russia instead. Unfortunately, after weeks of being deprived of the basics, some people are so desperate for food and water that they are willing to do anything.

(* Given the lack of electricity and communications in Mariupol, I’m amazed that word gets around about the evacuations. I feel bad for the people who each time gather their things and get to the meeting point, only to be turned away for whatever reason.)

Viktoria got this picture, below, the other day; it’s of the family apartment block, as seen from the courtyard side of the building. (The other side faces Mira Prospekt, one of main streets through Mariupol.) This shows the third and fourth elevator/entrances for the building. This means that Zhenya’s apartment would be off to the left, just out of frame, and V’s mother’s apartment even further to the left of that. I’m sure whomever took this picture was trying to show the pretty tulips that someone had planted were still there and blooming, despite the destruction around them. Viktoria says that, to her, this looks like a graveyard.

Some positive news out of Ukraine: Viktoria was finally able to reach Baba Katya! V had been trying to call her phone every few days, and did occasionally get a blip of response but nothing more substantial. When she tried yesterday (April 18), she was able to connect and they talked for a few minutes. Both Katya and Rodion are doing OK, but they aren’t quite where we thought.

Probably because of a misunderstanding on my or Viktoria’s part, we’d thought that they had left the apartment block base and gotten to a rural area northwest of Mariupol. In fact, they had gone to Oksana’s house in Talakivka (Talakovka in Russian) that had been damaged during the earlier days of the attacks. Talakivka is to the northeast of Mariupol, just past the “suburb” of Sartana. At the beginning of March, it probably seemed like Mariupol was the safer option, given the shelling that had happened in that area, but since attention has been focused on Mariupol for awhile, those outer areas are now relatively calm.

Katya, Rodion, Oksana and her family have been there for about three weeks now, but because they’re still in the Mariupol area, communications have been spotty at best. Being on the Russian-controlled side of the front, Katya was able to go to Donetsk the other day and had been staying with her sister there (Oksana’s mother, I believe) while she did some shopping for supplies and clothes for Rodion.

So that group has now been found, relatively safe and relatively sound. It’s not a great situation, but I’m sure there are alternatives that are far worse. If possible, Katya will try to get in touch with Artem and Katya 1, who aren’t that far away from Talakivka, but getting around is something of a challenge and concern. Still no word on Rodion’s mother Inna.

The New York Times has had a couple things of interest recently. A couple of maps depicting the damage in Mariupol caught my eye the other day. This first map hasn’t been updated for a couple weeks — and the past couple weeks have had some intense attacks — but the extent of the damage to the city is vast.

This other image is a closer look at the damage to the west of the Azovstal area. Zhenya used to live out in this area, and a lot of the drone footage I’ve seen appears to have come from this part of town. This is almost exclusively residential housing, save for the typical shops, schools and places you’d find in any neighborhood.

I thought this video was good, though it’s not from around Mariupol. It was taken in a few of the smaller villages to the west, between Mariupol and Zaporozhia. There are a couple mentions of Vasylivka, which was one of the towns on the evacuation route that Katya 2 and Vanya took.

And lastly, something not from the New York Times, but an composite images posted in one of the channels I’ve been reading.

(Sorry for the lack of updates; it’s been a tiring week for some reason.)

While Mariupol has been holding out valiantly for well over a month, I think that it will soon be fully under Russian control. For quite a while, the forces there had been taking advantage of hole in the Russian lines that allowed helicopters to bring supplies to the troops there and remove their wounded. Unfortunately, a couple weeks ago the Russians finally found that hole and closed it up, shooting down a couple helicopters in the process. Without continuing resupply, it’s only a matter of time until the Ukrainian forces are overwhelmed. And the Russians are throwing everything they can at the city to make that happen.

I fully hope and expect that to be a short-lived victory for the Russians, but it will give them one of the propaganda points they’ve been hoping for. Weeks ago, Viktoria had read something (she reads a lot of stuff that I never see) that Putin had been expecting to have a grand parade in Kyiv on May 9. May 9 is Victory Day in Russia and several other former Soviet countries, marking the surrender of Germany in WWII and the occupation of Berlin by Russian forces. The symbolism Putin hoped to have with a parade in Kyiv on that day should be obvious. It looks like they’ve going to try to make do with Mariupol instead.

Parading past all the rubble won’t be a good look, so occupying forces have started coercing remaining civilians to get things cleaned up. This is word (translated below, with light editing) coming from the City Council Telegram channel; I haven’t yet seen the information reported elsewhere:

Does the Gulag live?
Auschwitz - can we repeat it?
Putin, a stale follower of Hitler and Stalin, is realizing his perverted dreams in Mariupol. Genocide, crematoria, ghettos, and now the Gulag. We see it all in the city right now. It became known about the next innovation of the occupiers. Now residents can get food if they pass labor duty at the cleaning of the rubble. The Rashists ["Russian fascists"] are holding the whole of Mariupol hostage, and gradually turning it into one large labor camp.
In 1945, at the cost of tens of millions of lives, Nazism overcame humanity. But this virus of pure evil has been revived in Russia. The world has to stop it before it's too late.

This is what they’re trying to clean up and hide:

I’ll post a couple videos later, but I’ll finish now with an image that Viktoria received yesterday through one of her chat channels. It’s a picture of the apartment block with her son’s and mother’s apartments. It’s still standing, but as I noted in a previous post, there had been reports of fire. Now we know for sure. I’ve indicated the approximate locations of the two apartments, Zhenya’s apartment on the left, her mother’s on the right.

The Mariupol City Council posted these pictures on their Telegram channel with the note “Mariupol under Ukraine vs. Mariupol under its ‘liberators'”

And speaking of the city council, I read the other day that Russian forces (or maybe those play-acting soldiers from the DPR) “elected” five new people to make claims that they’re the city council now. Collaborators and traitors in Russia’s destruction of a sovereign country.

A couple videos to lead things off. Both Viktoria and Zhenya have been networking and combing through online resources to find any information about the city and their apartments. Here’s a video from a drone of the Azov Battalion that’s been defending Mariupol. I’m not sure the circumstances of this particular incident; what’s relevant is that the building there (the big one running top to bottom in the frame) is their apartment block.

The short, white crossbars are the entrances, stairwells and elevators. Right at the top, the first one is the entrance to V’s mother’s apartment; Zhenya’s is the next one down. You can kind of see some blackening of the courtyard-side wall (you can definitely see that on the adjoining building at the top), which is indicative of fires in the building. There’s not a timestamp on the video, so I’m not sure when it was taken. (Viktoria had heard that the building to the bottom of the video was completely destroyed, so perhaps that’s not true, or this video is from before that. Or maybe there’s a bit of the building still standing. There’s not a lot of certainty with much of the information.)

Here’s another video of the apartment building, taken from the west end by someone walking by. (West would have been the top of the video above.) The first set of windows on the left (second floor, under the green taped windows) is the balcony of V’s mother’s apartment. It was closed in years ago for additional storage and living space.

Again, I’m not sure when this was taken, and while the windows are all gone, what can be seen of the interior still appears to be intact. Hopefully that’s true and will remain so. There was an interior door, between the balcony and the living room, but there’s no way to know if that’s survived or if the apartment is just open to the elements. (Given that there are a couple windows on the street-facing side, where the above fighting was happening, and those windows are probably gone, weather will be getting into the apartment anyway.)

A wider shot of Mariupol, or at least part of it. I kind of recognize some of the buildings, but can’t quite fix the location in my mind. If that turret like building on the left is one I’m thinking of, then this is looking south and the bombed theater would be just past that “spiked” building, in the center. (The family apartment block would be well off to the right.)

The article where I found the above image quotes the Azov Battalion commander, who said something quite similar to something I’d written the other day: “I think Mariupol is a matter of principle for Putin. This is the capital of the Donetsk region, if we do not take into account the temporarily occupied territories. I do not understand why he decided to fully take control of Mariupol by this method. I don’t know what he wants to prove after such destruction. I do not understand how it occurred to him to put such an order to [his] subordinates. It is impossible to logically explain this.”

This is a little late in arriving, but here’s a shot of the front of the theater/opera house that was bombed last week. I posted a non-smoking picture of it here.

Here’s a picture of Viktoria’s old apartment building; she was on the 8th floor.